“Pedal, pedal, pedal!”

"Pedal, pedal, pedal!"

That's what my friend Mike used to yell at me when we'd be mountain biking through sand. When the ground beneath you is unsteady, the best way through is to maintain your momentum, no matter how slowly you're moving. Pedal hard and avoid sudden changes of direction to avoid big crashes!

The same is as true for long-term behavior change as it is when things get tough. Every week, when my nutrition coach asks me what I'll do in the next week to reach my goals, my response is something along the lines of, "Pedal, pedal, pedal."

I've turned a corner and realized that slow, steady consistency is powerful. As long as I don't stop pedaling, I'll make steady progress towards my goals, even when I'm not moving as quickly as I'd like. Even when it feels like I'm pedaling through sand.

It works for building a business too. As I've evolved my business to include both coaching and doula-ing, the hardest part has been figuring out the patterns I need to build and how to create a steady rhythm. I have regular peer check-ins, I have accountability in the form of my certification program, and I have mini milestones I'm working towards that all require small, steady effort.

As long as I keep pedaling, no one movement feels too big. It's all just steady forward momentum, no matter how incremental.

Consider what this looks like in your own life. Where might small, consistent efforts make a huge difference over time?

*This photo is several years old, but it's one of me after crashing on my mountain bike after I stopped pedaling.

“Pedal, pedal, pedal!”